No More Secrets No More Closed Doors
by Yellow-eyed-wonder
Summary: Only days after the Great Thaw, it occurs to Elsa that she has yet to tell Anna the truth about their gloomy past. As terrified as she is to relive it, she knows Anna deserves to know the events that changed their lives forever. One-shot.


Alright, so this is my first Frozen fanfiction as well as my first time writing in quite some time. I am seriously out of practice, so I hope it's not too bad! Hope you guys enjoy it! X)

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**No More Secrets. No More Closed Doors.**

Only a few days had passed since Anna and Elsa's long yearned for reunion, and at last, the hustle of the past few days was starting to settle down. Everything was starting to move at a more even, steady pace, which allowed the two sisters a chance to have some precious time together. It was during this time that it had dawned on Elsa- she still hadn't told Anna the truth about their childhood; the sole reason for the sad chain of events that lead to their lonely, isolated lives. The more the thoughts… the memories… ran through her mind, the stronger the urge became to finally tell her sister what really happened that dreadful day. It hurt to think about it… to relive it… but she knew Anna deserved to know.

It was fairly early in the afternoon, the warm rays of the sun shining through the tall, luxurious windows of the castle. It still felt so strange to Elsa to feel warmth again- something she hadn't felt for so long. She loved the cold. She thrived in it. But still, there was a certain feeling… a welling up of emotions that the cold could never bring her. This warmth only pushed her further to go find Anna. But how do you find someone in such a large castle, with so many rooms and halls, especially someone that is nearly a stranger? As much as it hurt Elsa to think about it, they really didn't know each other anymore. This was simply the first step of mending their broken relationship and making things right between them.

Luckily for Elsa, it didn't take her long to stumble across her little sister. The instant her gaze fell onto Anna, she felt an overwhelming warmth encompass her. There she sat- there, on the couch, in the dimly lit room, so innocent, with her face in one of her many books that served as her companions over the years. She didn't even notice Elsa's entrance, she was so engrossed. Elsa simply smiled at the sight, allowing a quiet giggle escape from her lips. The sudden break in silence startled Anna into almost dropping her precious book. The moment she realized just who was standing in the door way, her face lit up like a thousand stars. "Elsa!" Without hesitation, she sprung up off of the couch and threw her arms around Elsa in a warm embrace. This, understandably, at first, startled Elsa. She still hadn't gotten used to being approached and especially not touched, much less being tackled in an embrace. But other than an initial flinch, she surrendered to Anna's affection. It had still only been a few days since the great thaw, and Anna couldn't quite yet grasp the reality that Elsa was really 'there'... that she was there to stay. There to talk to. To touch. To hug.

Elsa hugged her sister tightly, holding her close, realizing the difficulties the years must have brought to her. What must it had been like to not understand why you've been abandoned so abruptly, when all you had were fond memories of the past? And if that wasn't painful enough, that the one who abandoned you was your very sister, who continued living behind a door of the very place you lived, locked away from the entire world around her? She held her sister tight, trying her hardest to reassure her. She managed to even laugh slightly, and uttered, "Nice to see you too." As they both slowly parted, they gazed into each other's eyes with the utmost joy and tenderness. But that joy quickly turned into the all too familiar sadness in Elsa's ice-blue eyes.

Anna immediately grew concerned over this sudden change in her sister's mood. "Elsa, what's wrong?"

She looked sadly into Anna's concerned gaze, as she slowly rubbed the arm of her worried sibling. "There's… there's something I need to tell you, Anna. Something that you should really know about."

She then took Anna by the hand and quietly led them to the couch where Anna had previously been seated as she was lost in her book. They both slowly took a seat, both visibly very anxious. Anna inquired nervously, "What is it you need to tell me?" The look in Anna's eyes hurt Elsa tremendously. The amount of pain the two had gone through was great, even though they refused to let it show. Elsa looked into Anna's eyes, not knowing how exactly she was supposed to begin. After a moment, she had finally found the courage.

"I… I want to tell you a little about us. How things were between us. You know… before we were separated for all of these years. "

Anna was clearly confused. What was Elsa talking about? She was there. She knew how they were as kids. She replied, "I know. I remember. We were so close back then, the two of us. We used to play all of the time. We had so much fun together. But I don't understand. What is it that you have to tell me?"

Elsa took a deep breath, trying her hardest to keep herself collected. "No. I'm talking about your knowledge of me. Knowledge… of what I'm able to do."

Anna, once again, was confused. She was clueless to what she was talking about. The frustration slowly started to build within her. "What? How could I have known when I just found out? You're not making any sense, Elsa!"

"Anna, please!" The urgency in her voice quickly caught Anna's attention, though she certainly didn't mean to be so harsh. She quickly softened her tone and tried to explain. "Anna… those aren't your true memories." She realized how crazy that must have sounded, but it was the truth. How else was she supposed to put it?

"Wait, what? What do you mean, not my true memories?" At this point, she was almost certain her sister had gone crazy.

Elsa explained further, "You see… when we were younger, you knew all about my powers. Not only did you know, but you adored me and what I was able to do. You thought it was amazing, and you know something? So did I. Well, at the time I did, anyway. I just loved how happy it made you. We used to play all of the time, most of those times, using my magic. I still remember how your face would light up as I used my magic to make us a wintry playground nearly every day. Oh, the fun we had…"

Anna sat there dumbfounded. How could this be when she doesn't remember a thing? She just couldn't get herself to understand. "Elsa… I remember when we were kids. There was none of that." Then she stopped, remembering what Elsa had told her just moments before, "If what you are saying is true… what happened to my memories?" Elsa fidgeted slightly, as the situation was becoming more and more uncomfortable. She could feel herself growing colder as her power started to stir inside her, as often happened when she would become upset or agitated. The memories just kept flooding back to her. The ones she had been desperately running from her entire life. Anna immediately felt the air growing cold around them, and a layer of frost started to form around the area at which they sat. Anna knew she was growing upset. "Elsa…?"

Elsa peered into her sister's troubled gaze. "I'm so sorry, Anna. It's just, that day? The day I'm going to tell you about… is the day that changed everything."

A chill, completely unrelated to Elsa's icy aura, sharply shot through her body. What exactly was it that happened that day? Was she really prepared to get the answers that she'd been searching for her entire life? Ready to learn about what tore the two sisters apart for so many painful years? Hesitantly, Anna inquired with her eyes full of worry, "What happened?"

Elsa took yet another deep breath and continued on with her story. "I'll never forget that night," she said before pausing. _How could she?_ That night… those moments, were as ingrained into her memory as a scar upon one's flesh. It was the single, most horrible memory she had been burdened with over all of those years. "I was in bed for the night, just trying to get to sleep, when you, the ball of energy you've always been, just wanted to play instead. Of course, though, when we played, it meant I used my powers. So, we snuck down into the ballroom. I knew we weren't supposed to be playing like that… but, I just wanted to make you happy. I just loved seeing how you lit up when you saw the ice and snow, and that it was me that made that possible for you. So, I turned the ballroom floor to ice and covered the room in snow. It always brought me joy that each time I used my magic, you were just as amazed every single time. So, after that, we played and we played." The queen paused for a second, recalling the events of that night. Her thoughts led her to the moment when she had created the happiest, most lovable snowman for her sweet little Anna. After all, no other snowman would do. "Actually… you know Olaf?"

Anna was thrown off by being questioned. She quickly gathered herself and replied, "Yes, of course!"

"Well, that's the day we made him." She paused and smiled at the warmer memories of that day. It had been longer than she cared to realize since she allowed herself to recall those happier moments. "You were having so much fun. But then… that's when we got carried away."

"What happened?" Anna looked to her in curiosity, fear, and sadness. She had no idea what Elsa was about to tell her, but she could tell from how quickly the air around them was turning frigid, that it wasn't something good.

"You were standing on a heap of snow I had created, when you leapt and wanted me to catch you with yet another heap of snow. And it was ok, at first… but I didn't realize they were getting taller and taller, and you just kept jumping faster and faster. I begged you to slow down… but you were so young. You didn't stop. I tried my hardest to keep up with you, losing control a little more each time. Then… I slipped. You had already jumped. I couldn't stop you from falling, so my reaction was to send something…anything… your way, in hopes of saving you. And that's when I struck you. Right on your little head."

Elsa quickly started to fill with ice-cold tears as she was recalling the terrible event of that night. Anna was trying her hardest to take everything in. There was so much to understand at once. And what's worse, is that she couldn't remember anything. It just didn't make sense. But then, something occurred to her. "Wait a minute…" Both sisters paused for a brief instant. "Is that how I got the white streak in my hair?" Now it was all starting to make sense, especially as Anna recalled her hair turning white soon after being struck by her sister days before, and the later vanishing of every white strand after she had been thawed.

Elsa heartrendingly responded. "Yes. Yes, it is."

"Oh wow… They always just told me I was born with it..." Anna wasn't exactly sure what she should be feeling. She was still in the process of absorbing the brand new information that was so quickly being delivered to her. "Well… what happened next?"

The air continued to grow colder around them the further Elsa went into the details. Anna was immediately aware of this and, in an attempt to ease some of her pain, reached out and comfortingly rubbed Elsa's freezing shoulder. Sure enough, the coolness became slightly tamed. She then continued, having regained some of her composure. "Well… I cried out for Mama and Papa. I was so scared. You were completely unconscious and growing colder and colder by the second. I just sat there, helpless, with you, my little sister, who I adored so much, cradled lifelessly in my arms. And it was all because of me. It was my fault. I should've known better…"

Once again, the bitter cold returned and the frost had begun to spread even further. A flurry soon began to fall around them, lacing the air with even more of a chill. Anna tried her hardest to reassure her trembling sister. "Shhh, Elsa, hey… it's ok. Look at me. I'm fine now. Well... as fine as I get, right? I am still me, after all." She let out a giggle, knowing very well that she is far clumsier and less graceful than her older sister. She was hardly the picture of royalty. Elsa returned the smile and laughter, and the weather had soon settled.

"Anna, that's nonsense. You're perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better sister."

To hear such beautiful, caring words come from Elsa was like music to her ears. Anna couldn't help but smile. "What? Really? You really think so?"

Elsa went on to place her hand tenderly on Anna's shoulder. "Of course. You are just so sweet, Anna. And so forgiving. So caring… All of things that I have to try so hard to learn… to understand, come so easily to you."

Anna, feeling overwhelmed by receiving such loving, caring words from her previously silent sibling, turned slightly red in the face. "Aww, geez Elsa… I don't know what to say." After the two exchanged a few more smiles and warm, reassuring contact, she still wanted to know more. She asked, "So… then what happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

Elsa's expression quickly changed once more to that of sorrow as she was reminded of their subject matter. But, this _is_ what she came here to do. "Well… Mama and Papa came rushing in. Oh man, were they were so upset with me…"

Anna stopped her immediately. "Upset with you?! We were just kids… and we were both doing things we weren't supposed to be doing and…," she stopped, as she was interrupted by Elsa.

"Well, Anna… I was older… I should've known better… But, I really think they were just panicked like I was. I mean, you were just lying there. So helpless. I remember like it was yesterday. That terrible feeling that we might lose you… and that it was all because of me." She took a moment to pull herself together once again. "So then, they quickly found out where we had to take you, and they scooped both of us up and we rode out into the woods as fast as we possibly could. That's where we met the trolls that would be able to help you."

Anna was quickly distracted by that single word uttered by Elsa. "Trolls…?"

Elsa, confused, answered, "Yes? Why?"

"Oh… no reason. Continue." After waiting so long to hear the truth, she really didn't want to hold up the story any longer than necessary, even though she had an idea of where it was going. She realized that Elsa was completely unaware of her own encounter with what she believed were these very trolls.

"Well, the elder troll said he was able to help you, because I had only hit your head. But… if I had hit you in the heart… he wouldn't have been able to save you." Her voice cracked with raw emotion, as she recalled the moment when her worse fear became reality, and she actually had frozen her dear sister's heart. She then managed to compose herself once more. "After he had healed you, he said that you'd be safer if you didn't know about my powers at all. So… he took your memories, every single one of them, and replaced all instances of my magic with ones that were far more ordinary. That's why you still remember, Anna. Those times you remember, those are real. It's just… well, not exactly how they happened."

"Oh wow… I had no idea," she spoke as she peered down into her lap. Anna was finally starting to understand, although she was instantly feeling robbed of those precious memories with her sister. She still wanted to know more. "So… if it's ok that I ask, then what happened?"

Elsa grimaced. This was hard for her. But she knew Anna deserved to know everything, so she continued on. "Of course it's ok… After they replaced your memories, they explained to me how dangerous my magic could really be. This didn't just scare me, but Mama and Papa as well. Their plan was to keep me as isolated as possible, until I learned to control my powers. And so, the first thing they did when we returned was move everything of mine out of our room, into my… new room." Her voice trembled as she said those last two words. That 'new room' was one that she soon became very familiar with. That room where, for most of her life, she was kept locked away from the rest of world. That very room, where she had to painfully ignore her sister's pleading day after day- for years. Oh, how much that hurt her.

Anna immediately noticed her sister's discomfort and gently put her arm around her. Elsa, incredibly emotional and in need of the comfort, took this as an invitation, and rested her head on Anna's shoulder. She still hadn't quite gotten used to the feeling of being touched, but it didn't feel quite as weird to her now as before. On the contrary, she rather enjoyed it. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes and she took in the sensations of both Anna's warmth, a feeling she seldom got to feel, and the sweet feeling of their contact that she had longed for for so long. Anna, in turn, rested her head lightly on top of Elsa's. She almost couldn't believe their proximity to each other at that moment. It almost felt like a dream. She was relishing in the tender moment nearly as much as her sister.

"Anna?"

"Yes…?"

"Can… I say something?" she asked, her voice already starting to quiver.

"Of course." Anna braced herself for what she was about to hear.

Elsa let out a deep, mournful sigh, which appeared to contain every ounce of pain from the past. A single, lonesome tear streamed down her snow-white cheek, with more quickly following. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Anna."

Anna's heart began to sink. "Elsa?" She tried her hardest to comfort her sister, gently rubbing her freezing arm. "Shhh, it's okay."

Elsa sorrowfully responded, "No, Anna. It's not okay." She paused as she sat back upright, hugging her arms tightly as she often did for protection. The frost, once more, spread around the two sisters. "Every time you'd approach me in the halls… every time you knocked on that door, all I wanted was to give you what you so desperately wanted. To throw my arms around you, to welcome you inside, to tell you that everything was going to be okay. To finally build that snowman. But… I couldn't. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn't. I wanted to so badly. And I'm so sorry you ever had to go through that." She paused for a moment, turning to Anna, with endless tears in her heartbroken eyes. "I never stopped loving you, Anna. Not for an instant. Not a day went by that I didn't think about you and how hard it must have been."

Anna was at a loss for words. What could you say to such an emotional outpouring? It broke her heart that Elsa was feeling such guilt over something that was completely out of her control. She tried to comfort her in the most convincing, sincere voice she could muster. "Elsa… please, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault. Besides, it couldn't have been anywhere near as bad as what you were going through. I mean… you must have been so scared. I just wish I could have been there to comfort you."

Elsa hugged her arms even tighter. "I was. But what scared me most, was that I thought that I'd never have the chance to be your sister again."

Anna, too, started to shed tears alongside her sister. Hearing Elsa's heavy words was just too much for her to bear. She felt the strong urge to cheer her up swell within her. After all, they were fine now. They were finally back together. She comfortingly spoke to her, "Hey, but we're here now. Everything's alright again."

Elsa smiled and in turn, the frost retreated. "Anna. You don't know how grateful I am to you. You never gave up on me, no matter how much I tried to push you away. No matter how many doors I shut. You showed me… no, taught me, what love's all about. That you never give up on someone. That someone, no matter how much they fight it, always needs somebody. You were there for me, Anna. I can't even begin to explain to you how much that means to me."

Anna smiled, never imagining she'd hear such kind, loving words from her sister. "Of course, Elsa. I could never give up on you. I love you so much."

Elsa gazed into Anna's teary, endlessly caring eyes, with an expression of both relief and joy. "I love you too," she said, as she initiated a warm embrace. She held Anna so tightly, as if she was afraid she would vanish if she hadn't. "I just wish there was some way I could give you back all of those lost years. Fill all of those lonely days with fun."

Anna smiled. "Elsa… the best thing you could ever give me, is being here with me right now."

Elsa released her embrace and returned her eyes to Anna's, both with expressions of pure love. "Of course. I promise, Anna, I will never, ever shut you out again."

More beautiful words couldn't have befallen Anna's ears. This was the moment she had waited for her entire life and it couldn't have been a more worthy moment. Both of their once wounded, pained expressions were now full of hope and joy for the future. "So, sis," she casually referred to the queen, "we have a lot to catch up on, huh?"

Elsa giggled, in the dignified, noble way that she always had, "Oh, yes. We most certainly do."

The two sisters, both with an incredible amount of weight lifted from their royal shoulders, stood up from the couch, and continued on elsewhere in the castle to rediscover one another. This was it. This was their new beginning. No more secrets. No more closed doors. Just two sisters with an undying love for one another. And neither would have it any other way.


End file.
